Black Cat
by Empress Akitla
Summary: Tim comes home after his team tries unsuccessfully to catch a serial killer. To his surprise, something is waiting for him. This small change in his life may drive his entire team into insanity. Now they understand why the killer killed so many people...
1. Chapter 1

**This is something I was inspired to write after listening to some creepy music and reading Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Black Cat". I will be posting the second chapter soon. I'll see if this one gets any reviews first.**

**

* * *

**The night was as dark as the Plutonian shores with clouds made ghostly by the pale-faced moon swirling in the sky, threatening to release all of the rain contained within their innermost parts. A breeze made the shrubs around the apartment building Timothy McGee lived in shudder and shake. No light, save for a lone hall light, burned in the building that night, for it was nearly midnight and the young agent was coming home from the Navy Shipyard after a hard case.

The door slammed shut by the unseen hand of the wind, making Tim jump. His nerves were already on end, frayed from chasing a serial killer through a warehouse and getting himself nearly killed. The door to his apartment was locked and stood without a mark, keeping intruders out. Quickly and quietly he unlocked it, shutting it deftly behind him.

A small desk lamp shed a circumference of light on his living room and writing corner. Nothing stirred, not even his computer hummed. Tim let his backpack fall to the floor while he started to head towards his bedroom, ready to let sleep take him.

Dark shadows spread across every corner, their dark claws fleeing from the meager light of the lamp. These shadows were a normal sight to Tim when he returned late from work, but one shadow was new. One shadow was not supposed to be there. Curiously he approached the window sill, his heart thumping as he only dreamed of what it could be. Still the shadow sat, not moving or even twitching to react to the howling and moaning of the wind rapping on the window. Stretching out his hand with the slowness of some reptile of old, Tim caressed the shadowy figure.

To his surprise it rose up to greet him, a purr rumbling in its throat. It had been nothing more than a cat reposing on his window sill. A cat was not of any harm, but how did it get into his apartment? His windows were all locked and secured as was his only door.

"Hey, kitty, kitty," Tim said soothingly as he stroked the rather large creature. Its short fur was the color of a raven's feather, with no other color to mark its glorious pelt. Golden eyes closed shut in happiness as he rubbed his thumb along its cheek. "How did you get in here? There's no way you came through the vents, you're way too big."

As if answering the questioning, the black cat meowed and leapt from its perch. With practiced grace it landed on the floor and continued to rub itself along Tim's legs. The purr resounding in it throat grew louder as Tim stooped down and hefted the creature up into his arms.

"I haven't seen anyone with a black cat in the building," Tim started to walk to his bedroom again, caressing the feline with his free hand. "I don't think pets are even allowed in this place."

The cat shimmied itself free of his arms and landed on his bed. It neatly sat, with its long, thin tail wrapping over its paws. Tim shrugged, deciding that it'd be no harm to allow the creature to stay with him.

"You can stay with me tonight, but tomorrow we're finding your owner," he pointed his finger at the cat. In response the feline tipped its head to the side, as if questioning his motives. "I'm going to change clothes and brush my teeth, don't do anything."

Tim turned his back to the creature, feeling its piercing gaze burning between his shoulder blades. Why was he talking to this cat as if it could actually fathom what he was telling it? How come it acted almost as if it could perceive his words? The first inquiry he wanted answered first, however, was how had the cat gotten into his apartment?

"I don't suppose you're going to tell me how you got in here, are you?" Tim asked, replacing his work shirt with an old MIT shirt that he used as a nightshirt.

In rebuttal the feline settled down, folding its paws under its frame. Lazily, it rasped its tongue over its black breast. The whiskers that mounted its face glittered silver as it moved its head to and fro, its sensitive hairs swaying back and forth as if blown by some unforeseen breeze.

"Didn't think so," Tim muttered as he pulled on a pair of blue checkered pajama pants. He glanced back at the feline, his gaze snagging on how silver and almost liquid like its whiskers looked. "You got a name?"

The black cat looked up, its golden eyes half shut. It seemed so quiescent and tranquil, yet the tip of its tail twitched. Pulling its lips back in a gaping yawn, the creature laid its head down. From where he stood, Tim thought that the feline looked like a black hole that had cut into his bed.

"Good night to you then," Tim flicked on the light in his bathroom, keeping a wary eye on the cat sleeping upon his bed.

* * *

**Please tell me what you think and if I should continue. Remember, I like to hear your thoughts in your reviews. Thanks for taking time to read! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow...almost a full year since I posted the first chapter of this. Well, let's blow the dust off this one and see where I can get. :P**

* * *

The morning was dark, all light from the sun blocked by the bodies of ashen clouds. Dancing in swirls, the wind skittered and skated across the ground and pushed leaves and debris around. The chill of fall was already setting in at the Navy Shipyard.

Anthony DiNozzo propped his feet up on his desk, tucking his arms behind his head. With the speed of a turtle his computer searched through the hundreds of files that their serial killer had accumulated. It would take an infinite amount of time to find what he was looking for. And he did not even know what he was looking for. It was a hunch that Gibbs had and wanted to be investigated.

"DiNozzo, is there a reason why you're not working?" Gibbs came through the bullpen, knocking his agent's feet from his desk. He was by no means in a pleasant mood this morning.

"Boss, this takes time," Tony defended as he returned his full attention to the computer. "It might get done faster is McGeek would show up."

"Have you called him?" Ziva David inquired of her partner, lifting one of her eyebrows. She let her hands halt their typing and pushed the keyboard aside. "Perhaps he forgot to set his alarm clock this morning."

"McAlwaysOnTime? Never," Tony secured his phone in his hand just as his younger partner trudged out of the opened elevator doors. "Probie, where have you been? You're nearly half an hour late!"

A glare was what Tony received. That glare was interrupted as Tim sneezed, tucking his face into his elbow. Both agents giggled like hyenas, shielding their faces with their hands. Just as their giggling started to die down, a shadow passed between them that stole the breath from their lungs. Silence swept its icy chill through the bullpen. The shadow had two golden eyes with ink black pupils that narrowed into slits as it glanced at the two agents. It shook its head and pounced up on top of Tim's desk.

"What's up with the cat?" Tony questioned, his green eyes wide. Wasn't Tim allergic to cats?

"It was in my apartment last night," Tim grumbled, shoving the cat aside as it tried to make itself at home on his keyboard. He acted as if the creature would be his immolation if it got too near. "I didn't know it had gotten into my car until I got here."

"Who does it belong to?" Ziva asked, standing up from her position and stalking across the bullpen. "Surely it does not belong for you, for you are allergic to cats, yes?"

"I haven't been too bad around this one," Tim kept stealing glances at the rather peaceful creature. Its raven black body was tucked up into a small bundle, its head still raised and eyes wide. "It scared me last night though."

"What happened?" Tony perked an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued.

"I woke up at like four in the morning and he," Tim punctuated his point by nudging the cat with a pen, "was sitting on my chest, staring straight at me."

The creature locked its golden eyes on him almost leisurely. Its silver whiskers shuddered as it pulled its lips back, revealing needle sharp teeth and hissing as Ziva got too close to Tim for its likes. She paused in her approach, watching the black creature with great apprehension.

"It seems to have takin' a liking to you, Probie," Tony said, keeping an eye on the situation from his desk.

Eyes half closed, the black cat turned to look at him now. Its pupils widening, its ears tipped back as it raised its head as if almost defying the older agent to make a move. The golden yellow irises reflected his distorted image back at him. For seconds, or it could have been minutes, the two stared at each other. The cat stayed perfectly still, never moving, never breathing. Tony could not hold the creature's gaze for any longer.

"Well, you sure know how to pick 'em," he said and turned back to his work.

Ziva turned her back on the cat, walking back to her desk and observing the creature carefully while she resumed her typing. As a trained killer and experienced field agent, she never let her fear get the better of her. Yet, that feline was drawing out that deep seated fear one has of the dark, of being alone, of not knowing what lies outside your window on an unsettling, dark night. Those pools of melted gold analyzed every move that took place in the bullpen. It sat there on Tim's desk perfectly neat and still, never flinching at the ominous thunder as the storm drew nearer as the second hands on the numerous clocks on the back wall ticked.

Lightning lit up the shipyard as Gibbs walked into the bullpen, coffee in hand. The breath he had taken to yell at his team was released in a questioning sigh as his crystal blue eyes caught sight of the black hole curled up on his youngest agent's desk. Just like a black hole, the cat seemed to draw everything into it. Every few seconds he would catch his agents glancing worriedly at the creature, acting as if it were about to exact some primeval rage upon them. He knew better than to let an animal scare you that badly, yet even fears that he had tucked away for eternity were starting to resurface at the sight of its raven black fur and silver whiskers.

"McGee, what is that cat doing on your desk?"

His young agent jolted and looked up at him with wide, clear eyes. The cat also looked up at him, laying its ears back and narrowing its eyes into slits. Tim glanced from the feline back to his boss, sorting out his words before speaking.

"I don't know," the young agent blurted.

"You don't know?" Gibbs glared at him before turning his piercing stare to Tony and Ziva. They were all looking at the cat now, as if expecting the animal to answer. What had spooked his agents so badly? What on earth could they be so terrified of? "What do you mean, you don't know? Where did that cat come from?"

"I found him in my apartment last night when I got home," Tim said slowly, choosing his words carefully. "He followed me to work."

"This cat ain't normal, Boss," Tony said, pointing to the creature with his pencil. "Only McGee can get close to it."

"It hisses at whoever tries to get close to McGee," Ziva added, switching her gaze from the cat to Gibbs.

"McGee, I don't know what it is with this cat, but I need you to go down and help Abby get through the unsub's computer files so that DiNozzo can have time to go pick up the witness," Gibbs said.

Tim stood up and took off down the hall to the elevators. Without hesitation, the black cat leapt from his desk and followed him. Lightning crackled outside the windows, illuminating the bullpen in an aberrant white light for a few long seconds. The inky fur of the cat shimmered and lit up with the sudden blast of light as it stalked passed the windows. Its skeleton shined with silver light before the electrical strike died and thunder shook the building to its core. All three agents stared after it as it entered the elevator with an exasperated sigh from Tim. Disbelieving made their eyes water and cold fear ran in salty rivulets down their foreheads as well as palms.

As the metal doors closed, the black cat turned to look at them. Its silver whiskers ebbed and flowed, its golden eyes flashed with the lightning outside, and its lips pulled back into an abnormal grimace, or was it a smile?

* * *

**So, chapter two. What did you guys think? Still interested in seeing it through, or not? Review so that I can know whether or not I should keep posting.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Huh...the "NCIS" bug must've bit me or something, 'cause I've decided to finish this one along with "Biological Weapon 2". Anyways, enjoy after a much anticipated and insanely long wait. :)**

* * *

It followed him on quiet paws, not making as much as a sound. The cat could not have been there for all Tim could tell. The entire ride down to the lab, it just sat there with its tail curled neatly around its paws and its glittering eyes trained on where the doors would part once stopped. One ear was kept turned toward him, while the rest of its senses seemed to be kept upon the only exit. Upon arrival, he let out a breath he hadn't realized that he had been holding.

"Abby's just going to love you," Tim murmured as he stepped out quickly.

With a quick and light bound, the creature was at his side again. It was no more than a shadow that kept his pace, never missing a beat. Why, he wondered, did this creature choose to follow him around? Of all people, why him? He wasn't even a cat person; they made his allergies flare. There was still a question that lingered at the back of his mind, however. How had the feline made its way into his apartment?

"I don't have anything yet, Gibbs!" the Goth said from where she stood. Her black hair was pulled into pigtails, which shined in the lightning outside as it struck.

"It's just me, Abby," Tim said as he joined her at the computers and keyboards. "Gibbs sent me down here to help."

"He thinks that I need help?" Abby Scuito spun around to face him. Her eyes were heavy and tired, her dark makeup nearly worn off. "Okay, fine. This guy was totally way too avid with taking pictures of everything! It'll take me ages to get through this by myself."

"He must've been taking pictures of the areas where he took the victims before he killed them," Tim turned to one of the computer screens, letting his fingers rest across the keys.

"Are you deducting?" Abby asked, one brow raised.

As Tim opened his mouth to speak, a flash of inky fur passed between the two as the cat leapt on top of the desk. It sat neatly, the unnatural light of the computer screens reflecting oddly off of its silky pelt. The golden yellow eyes looked up at Tim, and then to Abby.

"Is this yours?" Abby looked from the feline to Tim.

"No…yes…not really. I don't know," Tim stuttered with an answer. "It just started following me around this morning."

"And you let it come to work with you?" Abby reached out her hand to the cat, which narrowed its eyes.

"Abby, careful," Tim warned. "This cat doesn't like other people."

The cat pulled its lips back, stretching out its neck to meet Abby's hand. Its fangs flashed white in its pink gums as it opened its maw. Tim moved to grab the cat by the scruff, but paused. The cat butted its nose against the Goth's hand and rubbed its face across her palm.

"Sure, Timmy, this cat is real rabid," Abby chortled as a deep purr resounded in the feline's breast and throat. Its silver whiskers bounced and shimmered in the light as she scratched its head and long ears. "I just can't believe Gibbs let you keep it."

"He hissed at Gibbs, Tony, and Ziva," Tim said. He kept his hands to himself, still too timid to pet the beast that had scared him last night. "You're the only one that he's let pet him."

"I thought you were allergic to cats?" Abby looked at him questioningly as she hefted the cat up and set it on the floor.

"Not this one, apparently," he whispered more to himself than Abby.

"Strange," she wiggled her brows. With a sudden movement, she snapped back around to the computer screens. "But first, we must solve the mystery of the many, many pictures before we move onto the mystery of the cat that Timothy McGee is not allergic to."

* * *

The wind howled as the rain started to come down in stinging droplets. The lack of life around him was a welcome feeling for once. Neither human nor beast could interrupt his peaceful repose here in the safety of his own home, of his own labyrinth of crates and pillars.

But there was no rest for the wicked.

"No, please, I beg of you to leave me be!" he howled at the many pictures scattered across the floor and desk. "I can't take you always being everywhere!"

The tortured being tore his eyes from the ceiling back towards the most recent pictures. There, in the background of all of them, there it was. It stared out at him with cold eyes, with absolute malice. And in every single photo he had ever taken, never once was it looking in any other direction. In every shot, its soul slicing eyes were directed directly at him.

Perhaps no one else could have heard it, but he did. Mixed in with the thunder was a rumbling hiss. His neck stiffened, his hairs raised up, sweat trickled down the side of his unshaven face. Experience told him what was there, but he had always turned to look. Why did he always turn to look?

"Leave me alone!" he whispered through a sob. "Please, you're driving me insane!"

The black cat merely looked at him with contempt in its golden eyes.

* * *

Tim sat back in his chair. What was tickling the back of his brain? The pictures were bizarre in that they showed no pattern. They were of trees, of busy streets, of small cafes. Not one showed the same person twice. And the majority of them were of populated areas where a murder or a body would have been most definitely noticed.

But something was wrong.

"Abby, do these look strange to you?" Tim asked.

"Not really," Abby paused in her browsing of the file she was currently in. "They're nothing like each other, but he's grouped a huge amount of them into a file labeled 'It'."

"Why's it labeled that?" the young agent leaned over the Goth's shoulder to get a glance of the collage of photos piled up on the screen.

"There must be something in the pictures that deserved that name," Abby answered with a shrug. "But I have to tell you, McGee, something had this guy completely scared. And I don't mean like the kind of scared where you think there might be someone outside your window at night, but the kind of scared where you know that there's nowhere to hide and that if it catches you it will kill you."

"What could have a violent killer so scared out of his mind?" Tim shook his head, running his fingers through his hair. "Can you enlarge a few of the pictures on the big screen?"

"Way ahead of you," Abby pushed off of her chair, standing in front of the large monitor on her wall.

She had enlarged four of the pictures, each one of a different place from the others. Tim came to stand by her. Both of them tried to find at least one minute connection between the four. It didn't have to be large or obvious, but even something of infinitesimal size would be a help.

"There!" Tim shot a finger out at a point on one of the pictures. "Right there, that black spot in the background. All the pictures have that spot in them."

"I'll see if I can magnify and clean up the image," Abby sat back at her computer and a few keystrokes later the black spot on all the pictures was clear.

"That looks like…." Tim turned, and Abby followed his line of sight.

A deep purr came from the feline's throat as both of the techies looked at it. Its golden eyes glittered in the flash of lightning and its skeleton lit up, its fangs glistened brightly as it pulled its face into a horrid smirk.

* * *

**So, what did you guys think? Still worth following? Remember to tell me in a review, or it may be another nine months before an update on this one. Thanks for reading! :)**


End file.
